Unexpectedly, the Rockets are full of confidence in the 24th Tanhua, and they may successfully take the lead in the offseason by two points.

From choosing to trade Harden and start reconstruction, the Rockets took five years to finally reach the second place in the West in the 24-25 season. Although there are no leaders like Bancero, Cunningham, and Alexander on the team, the Rockets are still lucky compared to teams such as the Pistons and Magic, which have a reconstruction period of nearly 10 years, which lasts for nearly 10 years.

However, when it comes to the Rockets' draft picks, it has to be said that they have a very bad vision of rookies at high picks. Since the 21st class, the team has had the top four picks for four consecutive years. Except for the satisfactory selection of Amen in 23 years, other rookies have been criticized. Especially Shepard, who chose the third pick in the first round in 24, has not finished the entire season and has been named "parallel" but in the Rockets, it doesn't look at it like this.

Comparing the two high-pick picks, Jia and Jaylen Green, Shepard just did not join the team at the most appropriate time, but since joining the team, the Rockets have been constantly creating opportunities for him, especially his amazing performance in the summer league, which made the team believe that Shepard has the ability to become the team's backcourt engine, thereby supporting the team's backcourt firepower in the next 5-10 years.

However, after entering the regular season, Shepard became the one with the largest contrast in performance among rookies. Even in order to free up playtime, Uduka further compressed Whitmore's time and even removed him from the rotation, Shepard had to retain her playing time of more than 10 minutes per game. However, the one who was replaced was the "Ice Shooter" who averaged less than 2 points per game, had loopholes in defense, and had a cold shooting touch.

In the entire regular season, Shepard averaged only 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.7 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of only 35.1%. He was also rated by the media as the Rockets' most disappointing player of the season. In the playoffs, Shepard played in three games and won 10 minutes in total, only scored 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block, and scored no points. Even in the fifth game where the Rockets led the Warriors with a big score, Shepard made a 6-minute appearance, and the plus-negative value reached -15, almost "helping" the Warriors turnaround.

But even so, after the end of the season, Rockets boss Phil Tati came forward to support Shepard immediately. He said that the characteristics Shepard has will make him an extraordinary player in the future. Although he did not give a brilliant answer in the rookie season, in games where he had enough playing time, he would also average 20 points per game like other high-ranking rookies.

I have to say that the boss Philtati's answer is that some of the team's other backcourt star Jaylen Green. As the second place in the 21st class, Jaylen Green has given completely free space to attack since he joined the team, but four seasons have passed, and in the playoffs that require him to stand out, he often scores in single digits. Perhaps shepherd would be a better choice for Green.

First of all, Shepard's performance in the regular season game where he played more than 30 minutes, was quite remarkable. In the third-last game against the Clippers in the regular season, he made 7 of 14 shots and scored 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. At the same time, his highest 25 points in the season were obtained when facing the league's No. 1 Thunder, which shows that he is a big player.

At the same time, when sorting out the team's offense, Shepard is much smarter than Green. During the period when Shepard appeared, he always put the team first, especially with the offensive choice after the pick-and-roll, which already has VanVleet's style. In terms of defensive steals, Shepard is even the best-conscious player in the team besides Amen and Ethan.

But the problem with Shepard is that as a short guard of 1.91 meters, if he lacks ability to compete, he will be regarded as a breakthrough as long as he appears. Especially in the hands of coaches like Uduka who emphasize defense, this problem will be magnified sharply. But compared with Jaylen Green for three years, Shepard does not have a gap on the defensive end, and he is even more positive in his attitude.

So in this offseason, Shepard only needs to improve two points. Perhaps he can get a stable rotation position next season, first of all, his ability to confrontation, which is the basis for his appearance. Then there is a method of independent attack after pick-and-roll, which will allow him to find the feeling of the court faster. So although Shepard was a mess in the data presentation of the rookie season, he is still a high-potential rookie that the Rockets can expect in the future, and even a core player whose team status exceeds Jaylen Green. Do you think Shepard will have a big change in the Rockets next season? Welcome to leave a message for discussion!